The role of 3D printing in providing sustainable heating

Enviroheat is an SME with a clear mission – to make energy accessible to all. Since launching in 2011, they have worked to develop cutting-edge technology, focusing on eliminating fuel poverty.  

Their products are changing how water and homes are heated. A normal hot water cylinder will provide around 190 litres of hot water while a smart cylinder can produce up to 300 litres of hot water using up to 30% less energy than a standard cylinder. It also increases the renewable storage capacity by up to 30%.  

The company is constantly evolving. Its approach is to develop the latest technology in energy use and innovative product design.  

Finding low-carbon solutions for businesses  

During lockdown, the company was working on a new product to make the business stronger post Covid. It was at this time that Commercial Director, Luke Cronshaw took part in the ECO-I programme. Manchester Met is a key partner in the programme which provides innovation workshops to businesses to support the implementation of low-carbon solutions and the achievement of ‘Net Zero’ targets. 

By applying principles, strategies and processes from the workshop, the company produced an electronic panel to control hot water cylinders and improve their efficiency with any primary heat source. They also needed to encase the printed circuit board, touch screen and other components safely. Initial attempts to make a case in-house using 3D printing had worked but needed to be scalable. 

From the workshop, Luke joined the PrintCity cohort to learn more about the technological advances in 3D printing and was particularly interested in using resin. Taking part in the PrintCity cohort showed Luke the different types of printing technology available and offered the chance to trial printing the cases in resin.  

The resin prints initially failed, but the company was determined to make it work. They bought a resin printer, and after 3 weeks, had printed the first case. They experimented with textures to refine the surfaces of the casing which are a honeycomb design featuring the Manchester bee. Another two printers were purchased to print casings at scale.  

The printers and resin cost lost than £3k, each printed case costs £13 per unit and they can make fifty per week. If the company had taken an alternative option of using plastic injection moulds, the upfront cost would have been up to £80k with each case costing around £16, long lead times and a significant carbon impact due to overseas production.